Against all odds, the warrior ethos of Britain’s nobility is subtly reasserting itself.

Denied the opportunity to command a tank troop in Iraq, Prince Henry of Wales quietly re-trained as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), and has been serving in Afghanistan for the past ten weeks. With the express approval and consent of the Queen, and, improbably, the collusion of the British media in keeping it all under wraps.

Following the bitter disappointment of the cancellation of his tour to Iraq last year, the Prince’s new deployment was cloaked in secrecy, with close friends and even senior generals kept in the dark to prevent the Taliban being inadvertently alerted.

The Queen was also kept closely informed and gave her personal backing, as did the Prince of Wales. A news blackout has held for (more than four months?) as part of a deal between Clarence House, the Ministry of Defence and the media to prevent Harry or his comrades coming under any extra danger.

…Although Harry considered leaving the army he stayed on with the prospect of a new role in Afghanistan. He retrained as a JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) away from the public eye during summer 2007.

The role put him at the heart of the fight against the Taliban, working long hours and constantly in demand.

I’d be lying if I said this doesn’t make me a little misty-eyed. While there will certainly be additional danger faced by Harry’s compatriots, I cannot image that any of them would actively resent his presence. After all, the last royal to see combat was the Duke of York in the Falklands War (1982), and the last British sovereign to fight alongside his troops was George II at the Battle of Dettingen (1743). Britannia could use more warrior-kings prepared to lead from the front, a la Henry V, than philosopher-kings who let the kingdom slip through their fingers, a la Henry VI.

As far as I’m concerned, if MoD really wanted to burn some Islamist britches and destroy enemy morale, then HMS Ark Royal should be parked in the Persian Gulf with Elizabeth, Phillip, Charles, Andrew and Edward flying daily missions from her deck. That would make a great object lesson to hand down to the next generation of terrorists. “Your father was killed by an 82-year-old infidel Zionist-Crusader queen”. “And did we shoot her down?” “No, she bombed your uncle last week.”

How long can a shame-based fascist culture endure constant humiliation and defeat, but still remain intellectually attractive? Maybe it’s time we put it to the test. I can’t think of a good reason not to try to mock the hell out of a misogynist enemy, whose appeal stems largely from adolescent fantasies of endless rutting in Paradise.

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